"When you've got that going on, I don't think it's nice. I don't think it's cool" - Adrian Lewis advises Luke Littler in dealing with hostile crowds

There seem to be no signs of Adrian Lewis coming back to the PDC Tour anytime soon, but that does not mean he is still closely following the sport. Amid the recent events, he has since come to the side of Luke Littler and listed some tips on how to deal with the crowd problems that have been bugging him as of late.

Lewis has not competed on the PDC Tour since the start of 2023, taking a hiatus that to this day still continues. Murmers of a return for the two-time world champion have been growing over the past months, but in recent times Lewis has confirmed his aspirations to take a different route for the time being.

"What I've been considering is, having gone on the Challenge Tour, I think there'll be too much pressure if I turn up to Q School, with the expectation of everything else and the pressure of the problem itself as well," he told Online Darts.

"I'd rather get back into the competition side of doing the Challenge Tour and work my way through that way."

He was also taking care of himself with his transformation visible. "I've just been doing a lot of walking, I've been looking after myself. I've just cut out the junk, really, over the past probably 15 months or so. I still want to lose a bit more, probably another stone, I'd say."

Littler has again been at the centre of attention in the darting world. His World Series of Darts Finals title ambitions went up in smoke after a dreadful display on the outer ring saw him fall short in the quarter-finals against Jonny Clayton, abolishing his grand slam hopes.

However, the crowd reaction was by far the most notable thing. A constant barrage of boos, jerrs and whistles went the way of 'The Nuke' who tried to play his game. In the first match against Danny Noppert, he gave some back as the partisan supporters responded, creating a very hostile receptions that has seen Littler come out and even threaten to boycott the Netherlands in a similar action to Germany.

Lewis had his say on the situation. "It's very difficult, I think," he commented. "Obviously, you're under a lot of pressure. Certainly, when he's going for the Grand Slam, for winning everything, you put a lot more pressure on yourself as well."

He was not overly happy with the reception that met Littler. "When you've got that going on, I don't think it's nice. I don't think it's cool. At the end of the day, he's a young lad. He's been one of the best players I've ever seen. I think it's unfair, really, on him."

'Jackpot' linked this to the crowd reactions in Germany in the past that saw Littler stay clear of the country aside from the major events. "I'm not sure. I think it started in Germany, I believe, where they started having a go at him there. Maybe it's just passed on and it's gone to Holland now. It's unfortunate, really. I don't like to say anything like that."

Littler is in a position that many darts players dread. He is not the first one to be in this position, with Lewis using his wealth of knowledge and experience to suggest what he would do in this situation.

"To be fair, it started with me when I changed my walk-on song. That's when it first started. My walk-on song we're actually using now was when it started," he said.

"The first time I used it was at Newcastle Premier League. Obviously, I didn't know it was a Middlesbrough song, did I? I thought he was getting booed. That happened for a few weeks and I couldn't understand why. I thought, 'What have I done?'"

He advised Littler not to react to it. "It's difficult because what you're best off doing is trying not to react to them. Just stop getting bored. If you just turn up there and engage with the crowd, because you've got to engage with them anyway because that's part of the job. But if you start booing and all that and wrestling, just take the next level."

The next big tournament on the horizon is the World Grand Prix. Littler is the defending champion after routing Luke Humphries in last year's final, but the double-in double-out format makes it a very unique format and one that will be extremely challenging for the players to deal with.

"It's one of the most difficult tournaments," Lewis continued. "The thing is, the key to it is getting off with them first three darts, because if you don't, you're in trouble. It's really, really difficult. You try and find the rhythm as well. Obviously, when you're starting on top, for instance, you're up there and then you're back down. It does take a bit of getting used to. I'll tell you, the newcomers to it will find it very difficult."

Lewis reached the final back in 2010, where he lost out to James Wade. He admitted that it is not a tournament players look forward to. "I think even now, even when I talk to the players, because obviously I see them on a regular basis, I talk to even Nathan [Aspinall] the other night, I don't think anybody looks forward to it.

"Even when Michael Smith was world number one, he'd be like, "I booked me a flight for Wednesday," you knew it would be out by then. It is really difficult, like I say. I mean, I've been lucky enough to make the final, competing with Phil Taylor in the semi-final, which was only a year off back then. Even if I come back now, I wouldn't have had so many chances of winning that."

To showcase the unpredictability, Lewis recalled an interesting story. "I always remember this story. So, when Rob Cross first came over, and bear in mind he was playing brilliant darts then, and I said to him, I said, 'Who have you got?' He said, 'I've got Steve Beaton.' And he goes, 'I think I've got a good draw.' I was thinking to myself, you know, I don't think Rob Cross won a leg. I think Steve Beaton beat him 2-0 and off you go."